2009年舊文新貼
http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/2284066.html
Comfort wasn't easy to come by for Omri Casspi.
對Casspi來說這不是輕鬆的事
He hadn't experienced it in July summer league in Las Vegas, where the Kings'
rookie small forward from Israel looked like a man in a foreign land even on
the basketball court. The real culture shock came later, when Casspi began
switching sides on the globe and preparing for his Sacramento stay.
他面臨到文化衝擊 不論場上還是場外
But after a morning practice in late September, the most unexpected of Kings
ambassadors helped Casspi feel comfortable: fifth-year small forward
Francisco García.
但九月底 一個出乎意料的人出現了 那個人是Garcia
"He told me to come in late at night at 9 o'clock to be in the gym," Casspi
said. "I came in late at night, and it was only me and him in the gym. My
father came with me. 'Cisco told me, 'Hey Omri, you're my rookie this year.
I'm going to take care of everything you need. If you've got any questions,
if you have any problems … '
「他邀我晚上9點一起到健身房 那時只有我們兩個跟我爸 Garcia告訴我
『Casspi , 你就像第一年的我, 我會好好幫助你 你有任何困難就來找我...』
」
"It meant a lot to me. I'm coming from a different country, coming to a new
culture, and to see a guy like him. … He said, 'People might think we're
competing for the same (position), but … I'm going to really keep supporting
you. He did that day. He still is."
Casspi說: 「 這對我意義非凡 我從陌生的地方來美國打拼 然後碰到CISCO這樣的好人
Garcia對我說 『人們總說我們兩個是競爭者 但是別管那些 我真的會幫你
』 他真的作了 而且持續在幫我...」
With the official start of Casspi's NBA career just one day away, he's never
looked so comfortable.
Casspi NBA生涯剛開始狀態並不是很好
The once out-of-sorts 21-year-old who sparked skepticism at summer league has
prompted endless praise after the exhibition season. Kings coach Paul
Westphal called him the surprise of the team to this point. And in light of
García's wrist injury that required surgery and will keep him out at least
until mid-February, Casspi's breakout has come at a crucial time.
他從夏季聯盟的對大家還有很多疑問的小夥子
變成熱身賽後大家驚呼連連的新人
教練 Paul Westphal說他是球隊目前的最大驚奇
鑒於Garcia受傷 要二月中才會回來
Casspi的補上扮演著球隊重要的角色
After Monday's practice, the 27-year-old García, whose right arm is in an
above-the-elbow cast, rebounded for Tyreke Evans with his left arm while
discussing the difficulty of his situation. He finds himself depressed
sometimes, frustrated that after an offseason's worth of work he faces such a
rigorous road to recovery. It's six more weeks until the cast comes off; who
knows how long from there before his wrist and game are fully mended.
禮拜一練習時 Garcia 右手纏著繃帶 用他的左手幫Tyreke Evans撿籃板
他談到傷勢時感到沮喪 他在暑假辛苦的苦練
換來的只是六週甚至更久的復健期
沒人能保證何時他才能完全復原回來打球
(Garcia加油!! 加油!!!!)
Suddenly, the mentoring is his only connection, his only way to contribute.
It's also why he has decided to go on all the team's trips.
現在 他唯一能對球隊作的貢獻就是指導年輕球員
"I'm so happy for (Casspi) because he's playing so good right now," García
said. "His confidence is up. He was handling the ball today, and I said,
'Keep working. The more you lose the ball, the better you're going to get at
it. Just keep working. Don't worry about it.'
「我很高興看到Casspi現在打的很好 他的信心正在上升
他今天運球時我告訴他 『 別擔心掉球 大不了就是一次失誤而已
每一次掉球就代表你越來越接近會運球了 保持努力 別想太多』」
"You see his shot is so much better now because he's been working. You can
see the work. You can see the difference when people work. That's what I'm
telling Tyreke now, 'If you shoot every day, you're going to see the
difference.' That's what you see with Omri. He can't miss. In practice today,
he didn't miss. He's in a zone right now. I hope he carries it into the
season."
「你看到他現在越變越好了 我也告訴Evans同樣的事
如果你投射不好 你每天都練 遲早會變好的
Casspi現在在練習時幾乎沒有Miss掉任何一球
他找到投籃的感覺了 我希望他能在比賽時繼續保持』
García knew the challenges of changing cultures well, having moved from his
native Dominican Republic to New York when he was 13.
Garcia在13歲時就從多明尼加搬到紐約 他知道在異地生活有多困難
"I know it's hard," he said. "The culture is different; his family isn't
going to be here. I know his brother (Eitan) is here (and is living with
Casspi), but he's going to need somebody on the team to be with him and show
him the ropes.
「我知道文化隔閡很困難 雖然我知道Casspi他哥有搬來跟他一起住
但是在球隊還是要有一個關心他的人比較好」
"I'm going to be that person. I'm just happy for him; he's doing so good
because he worked hard."
「我願意當他的大哥 他目前作的都很好 因為他很認真工作」
The work has produced results so far, as Casspi's defensive versatility,
offensive efficiency and fearlessness on both ends have convinced Westphal to
give him a role in his rotation.
Casspi的工作成果最近展現了出來 他可以防守多個位置
進攻變的有效率 而且帶著無畏的心態上場打球
他贏得了教練的信任
"He's shown some real good ability to belong out there," Westphal said. "He's
somebody that doesn't recognize limitations, and he's willing to pay the
price to achieve his goals."
教練說
「他有著很好的能力 他還有著未開發的天賦 而且最重要是他肯努力
付出去完成他的目標」
He's somebody who's getting more comfortable every day, too.
他正在一天比一天茁壯
Omri & Cisco 兩個國王未來會依賴到的關鍵射手
他們的友誼從現在開始萌芽........
===================================================================
這是2009年Casspi新人年我發的文章
此後。Casspi比Garcia更早離開國王隊。但到騎士隊也不太得志。
有一度我認為他應該即將結束他的NBA生涯回歐洲打球。
Garcia呢?也不太好過。在國王隊亂無章法的運用下始終埋沒
命中率的低落更被人質疑是否09年的手傷之後Garcia的投射
功夫已回不去了。那他也只有退休一途。
所幸面臨國王隊換老闆前最後一次大交易。Garcia終於被
換到一隻競爭力較好的球隊火箭，並且在季後賽展現了他的價值
又快找回以往打球的熱情
爾後2013年暑假，Garcia宣佈與火箭簽下一紙 2y/2.6M的短約
隨即火箭宣佈與Casspi也簽下兩年約。
合理推測Garcia這位大哥居中有很大牽線的成份。
一晃五年。因緣變遷，輾轉聚首。一對原本面臨NBA邊緣化危機的
兄弟。他們並沒有在絕境中放棄生存的希望。並且當自己得到機會
的時候，還不吝嗇去提攜同位置的彼此。這是少見的場上真情。
想要多了解Casspi與Garcia兩個人
可以到國王板搜索標題
"以色列來的男孩" 系列文章
及 "El Flaco - Francisco Garcia"
由santabrelai翻譯的好文。有詳細兩人成長背景的介紹
也希望新球季麥克海爾能多使用這兩位患難兄弟
用他們的三分球證明這世界上最堅固的不是命運，而是友情。